“I should’ve been a cowboy. I should’ve learned to rope and ride
Wearin’ my six-shooter, ridin’ my pony on a cattle drive.
Stealin’ the young girls’ hearts, just like Gene and Roy
Singin’ those campfire songs. Whoa, I should’ve been a cowboy.”
—Should’ve Been a Cowboy by Toby Keith
Ryan Branch, Big Country EC: “Cattle drive on the Branch JS Ranches.”
Nancy Webster, Bluebonnet EC: “I tried to get a photo of a cow’s silhouette against the rising sun, but the cow got curious when I squatted down.”
Jennifer Tuggle, PenTex Energy: “My husband, Sam, was starting the 2-year-olds in the round pen.”
Bobby Norris, Pedernales EC: “Big hat and rope with this black-and-white silhouette of a cowboy at work.”
Web Extra: William Edwards, Pedernales EC: “On the windmill at dusk.”
Web Extra: Theresa McKee, Fannin County EC: “Who says families are made up of people?”
Web Extra: Laura Bratton, South Plains EC: “My nephew, Jett Parks, and his pony, Shorty. Jett is the son of Jori and Ron Parks.”
Web Extra: Chad Prahl, CoServ: What’s more Texan than a longhorn and a soon-to-be longhorn? This ranch, near Celina in North Texas, hosts a herd of this fine breed.
Web Extra: Rachael Nielsen, Bluebonnet EC: “This was a bottle calf 10 years ago. We ended up keeping her as part of the herd. She still comes up to the truck window every time we drive out in the pasture. We call her Norma.”
Web Extra: Laura Bratton, South Plains EC: Branding cattle on the farm in Paducah.
Web Extra: Shannan Brent, Bluebonnet EC: “Goat-tee.”
Web Extra: Reagan Ferguson, Central Texas EC: Jace, a young drover, had just finished a spring cattle drive on Chapman ranch near Clarksville.
Web Extra: Melanie Handy, Central Texas EC: “Bane the dog and Coco the donkey give sniffs and kisses through the gate.”
Web Extra: Christine Heimsoth, Bluebonnet EC: “A windmill and a cistern are a common sight in a part of the state that has little surface water and very hot temperatures in summer. Not only do they provide water for homes and livestock, they also make great swimming holes.”
Web Extra: Becky Nicholson, Navarro County EC: “Looking out over Nicholson Hill.”
